Human Rights Watch’s Post

Poland: Europe's Sick Success Child? 🇵🇱 Poland's rule of law crisis, triggered by the ruling coalition under Jarosław Kaczyński, has raised significant concerns about the integrity of its legal system and democratic principles. In response, the European Union has initiated infringement proceedings and withheld funds, prompting limited concessions from the Polish government 🤝 However, Poland's legal community and civil society have exhibited remarkable resilience, diligently upholding democratic values and preserving a robust private media landscape 🏛️ As the country approaches parliamentary elections, the crucial question emerges: can this resilience foster a restoration of the rule of law? Delve into the nuanced story by Jakub Jaraczewski👇https://lnkd.in/d3aZiaGn Verfassungsblog Stiftung Mercator GmbH re:constitution

The plan of the former ruling party Law and Justice to have "Budapest in Warsaw" and copy in Poland Hungarian model of illiberal democracy, destruction of independent media and oligarchic economy failed. Today, a new government led by Donald Tusk took power in Poland. I hope many bad policies of predecessor will be reversed. And what about liberalism? There are around 20 per cent of classical liberal voters in Poland and many of them voted for this new coalition. Mobilization of this voters and strength of classical liberal, libertarian and free market NGOs will determine how many liberal policies will be implemented in the future.

Is this photo supposed to represent Belgium at the helm of the EU for the next six months? If so “God save the King because nothing can save the EU”…. Shame on you! This is a vulgar, semi-sexualised & deeply stupid representation of the EU. Is it intended to capture the real substance of the Belgian government? 🤦 It offends all intelligent people living in the EU who are tired of the rotating principle of the EU presidency - in my view one of the most ridiculous political innovations introduced by the Maastricht Treaty of 1990. People don’t want this spectacle anymore: the carousel of EU commission; EU council; EU rotating presidency; EU Commissioners; EU Parliament President. Their major hobby seems to be that of producing laws laws laws, forcing change on people without consensus. Phew! The EU has failed to modernise over the past 7 years. In June 2024 European citizens are expected to cast their vote to renew all EU mandates within the same old structure. That is bad. May the EU citizens need real choices before they can experience real elections? https://lnkd.in/dA72Eagf

🇲🇬STATEMENT🇲🇬 The present signatories, international partners of Madagascar, express their concern regarding the latest developments and the tense political climate in Madagascar. They reiterate the importance of respect for the Constitution, freedoms of expression, association and meeting. They call on everyone to exercise the greatest restraint. They share the concerns of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the disproportionate use of force to disperse opposition demonstrations. The signatories encourage dialogue efforts likely to lead to concrete measures capable of restoring confidence in the process and allowing successful elections. The undersigned partners take note of the new date of the first round of elections. Concerned that this electoral process complies with international standards, that is to say transparent, fable, inclusive and peaceful, they underline the need to guarantee freedom of movement of candidates, freedom of peaceful assembly of citizens, as well as equal treatment between the candidates from the public authorities and the media, in order to allow a participation as wide as possible and ensure that the results can be recognized by all. Signatories: Delegation of the European Union Representation of the OIF for the Indian Ocean German Embassy Korean Embassy United States Embassy French Embassy Embassy of Japan British Embassy Embassy of Switzerland

The most important annual human rights event of the #OSCE region - civil society participation is key

Here’s what’s new in the European Union: 👩⚖️ Roberta Metsola re-elected President of the European Parliament; 🇸🇪 Sweden officially joins the European Public Prosecutor's Office; 📊 European Semester 2024: The Council of the EU agrees on country-specific recommendations. Stay informed with our regular updates on key developments within the EU. 🇪🇺 #EUnews #EuropeanParliament #RobertaMetsola #Sweden #EuropeanPublicProsecutorsOffice #EuropeanSemester #CountryRecommendations #EUpolitics

The 22nd #NationalAssembly began three weeks ago, but the two major parties have been in major conflicts right from the start over the formation of standing committees, giving a preview for a bumpy #parliamentary and #politicallandscape in the years ahead. Meanwhile, the parties are also preparing for the national conventions in this summer. The opposition majority #DemocraticParty is delicately planning to consolidate its current leadership, while the ruling minority #PeoplePowerParty will see a competition for party leadership among some senior members with high political influence and the returning former Emergency Response Committee Chairperson Han Dong-hoon. To find out more about Korea's latest political developments, check out GR Korea website for the full report. <https://lnkd.in/gMwVag5R>

TODAY IS CONSTITUTION DAY - AN INSTRUMENT GUARANTEEING BASIC RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, STABILITY, PROTECTION OF THE COUNTRY AND EVERY CITIZEN. People ask themselves why Slovakia has a holiday for Constitution Day? We are a very young country and we are still forming. We continue to witness turbulences and clarification of positions. Every country needs gatekeepers. These are given to us by the Constitution, the highest law in the country. It forms the basis of Slovak democracy, and on which others laws that help to maintain order in the country are built on it. We are a young democracy, all the more we need to be protected from short-term unwanted storms and the wasteful appetites of personal interests exceeding the dimension of law. Our constitution is an instrument of guarantee, that protects both the country and every citizen. Hence, as long as there are constant discussions about our state of democracy, it will be necessary to honor and remember this holiday. Stefan Panenka

Yanis Varoufakis vents his growing misgivings about the representativeness of the European Union's political institutions. He argues that the European Union has long suffered from a democratic deficit, owing to the absence of a united European polity that can hold EU political institutions accountable. In recent years, three developments have all but destroyed the idea of the EU as an effective force for good within and beyond Europe. https://lnkd.in/gNYHPGrT

In my latest for Balkan Insight and Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), I argue that Europe’s far right suffers from an essential schism when it comes to the question of enlarging the EU – from which mainstream parties need to benefit. "The first dimension that articulates the EU far right’s enlargement appetite has to do with its political view over the Union’s mere existence. The second dimension is its positioning vis-à-vis Russia. Remarkably, these two dimensions play out differently depending on whose EU accession bid is being assessed. For a while now, the ball has been in the court of the EU’s mainstream parties – on whose hands falls much of the responsibility of laying out an honest domestic groundwork for enlargement, and of sending out a message of determination and integrity to the Union’s citizens." https://lnkd.in/d4KB6pdh